Monkey Kingdom Page #3

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try doing it during weeks

and weeks of downpour.

Castle Rock would make

an ideal shelter

for an infant,

but it's reserved for the VIPs,

whose firsthand experience

of rain

is limited.

Kip would be much better off

under there.

Maya can only shake it off,

and try to prevent Kip

from getting dangerously cold.

Few of the kingdom's creatures

enjoy the rain.

At least the elephants get to

apply wet mud to their backs,

which works like sunscreen

when it dries.

Monsoon winds blowing off

the Himalayas

have brought more rain

in the last few weeks

than in the rest

of the year combined.

The water soaks deep

into the ground.

In a few months

it'll bring a glut of fruit.

But, before that...

It happens for a just

a few hours every year.

Thousands of winged termites

take to the air

to found new colonies.

For the macaques,

it's every holiday meal

rolled into one.

For Maya,

termites have the two best

qualities in a food source,

they are delicious,

and they are everywhere.

Even the sisters can't keep

this feast to themselves.

Maya has her very own

mound today.

And more food for Maya

means more milk for Kip.

Patience, little one.

Everyone in the kingdom

shows up for termite day.

Even scorpions gather

as much as they can

to stock the pantry.

Finally, Kip got his fill.

The termite feast comes

but once a year,

which leaves Maya

with 364 other days

to provide for her son.

Her growing son.

Kip is getting older,

reaching that age

when he starts to realize

he's part of a larger world.

Meanwhile, he's this close

to understanding that his skin

is actually attached

to his face.

Like any mother,

Maya probably wants

to freeze her child in time.

This, right now,

this is the perfect age.

Insects.

Plants.

The laws of physics.

They'll make sense in time.

It's monkeys

that are confusing.

Infants get a pass

to be annoying

in their early weeks.

Older monkeys just have to

look the other way.

Sometimes it's extremely hard.

But not everyone

plays by the rules.

Like the sisters and Raja.

Especially not for Maya's kid.

And so,

Kip discovers his place.

With termite season long gone,

cassia flowers

are what's on the menu.

For Raja, the sisters,

and their children, that is.

To feed herself and Kip today,

Maya will have to get creative.

Maya's nothing, if not scrappy.

She's got a plan B.

With other hungry monkeys

in tow,

Maya takes the lead.

It's an opportunity

the high-born

wouldn't even recognize.

The lily pond is a spot

known for predators.

But today,

the coast seems clear.

Maya digs in, harvesting

the seed pods of water lilies.

Grandpa will sit this one out.

When the easy pickings

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